The Distillers Company plc was a Scotch whisky company based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was taken over in 1986 by Guinness & Co. and is now part of Diageo.
History The Distillers Company origins lie in a trade association known as the Scotch Distillers' Association formed by Menzies, Barnard & Craig, John Bald & Co., John Haig & Co., MacNab Bros, Robert Mowbray and Macfarlane & Co. in 1865.
It was incorporated in 1877 as The Distillers Company Ltd. (DCL) and in 1894 DCL was listed on the Edinburgh and Glasgow stock exchanges.
During the early part of the 1900s, DCL embarked in programme of distillery acquisitions at low prices in the wake of the Pattisons crash of 1898.
In 1914 DCL claimed to be the largest whisky distiller in the world.
In 1919 DCL purchased the totality of John Haig & Co. and in 1925 combined it with John Walker & Son and Buchanan-Dewar on a share exchange basis.
In 1929 DCL took over White Horse Distillers Ltd.
During the 1930s, one product introduced by DCL was an alcohol addition to petrol, called Discol. This was a way to benefit from any excess alcohol production as the market and demand varied. The resultant fuel was cooler-burning and had a higher octane-rating than fuel without the additive.
in 1985 James Gulliver's Argyll Foods group, which operated the Glen Scotia distillery, launched a hostile bid for DCL. The offer was rejected and The Distillers Company was finally acquired by Guinness in 1986. The transaction was shadowed by controversy because it involved fraudulent activity, becoming known as the Guinness share-trading fraud.
DCL was renamed to United Distillers in 1987. In 1998 United Distillers was merged with International Distillers & Vintners to create United Distillers & Vintners (UDV), forming the spirits division of Diageo plc. The company still exists today as Diageo Scotland Ltd.
Distilleries Many malt distilleries were operated by DCL and most are still open under new owners:
Malt whisky distilleries DistilleryFoundedOwnerAberfeldy1896John Dewar & SonsAuchroisk1972DiageoAdelphi1826Closed 1907; DemolishedAultmore1895John Dewar & SonsBalmenach1824Inver House DistillersBanff1863Closed 1983; DemolishedBenrinnes1826DiageoBenromach1898Gordon & MacPhailBrora 1819 DiageoCaol Ila1846DiageoCardhu1824DiageoClynelish1967DiageoColeburn1897Coleburn Distillery Ltd.Convalmore1894William Grant & SonsCragganmore1869DiageoCraigellachie1891John Dewar & SonsDailuaine1852DiageoDallas Dhu1898Historic ScotlandDalwhinnie1898DiageoGlen Albyn1846Closed 1983; DemolishedGlen Elgin1898DiageoGlen Garioch1797Suntory Global SpiritsGlen Mhor1892Closed 1983; DemolishedGlen Ord1838DiageoGlendullan1897DiageoGlenesk 1897Closed 1985; DemolishedGlenkinchie1837DiageoGlenlochy1897Closed 1983; DemolishedGlenlossie1876DiageoGlentauchers1897Chivas BrothersGlenury1825Closed 1993; DemolishedImperial1897Closed 1998; DemolishedKnockdhu1894Inver House DistillersLagavulin1816DiageoLinkwood1821DiageoMannochmore1971DiageoMillburn 1807Closed 1985; DemolishedMortlach1823DiageoNorth Port 1820Closed 1983; DemolishedOban1794DiageoOld Pulteney1826Inver House DistillersParkmore1894EdringtonPort Charlotte1829The Bruichladdich Distillery Co. LtdPort Ellen 1825DiageoRosebank 1798Ian Macleod DistillersRoyal Brackla 1812John Dewar & SonsRoyal Lochnagar1845DiageoSpeyburn1897Inver House DistillersSt. Magdalene 1798Closed 1983; DemolishedTalisker1830DiageoTeaninich1817DiageoTobermory1798Distel
Grain whisky distilleries DistilleryLocationYear closedCaledonian1855Closed 1988; DemolishedCambus1806Closed 1993; Converted into a cooperage siteCameronbridge 1824DiageoCarsebridge1799Closed 1983; DemolishedPort Dundas1811Closed 2011; Demolished
Brands The Distillers Company owned several blended whisky brands:
Black & White Buchanan's Dewar's Haig Johnnie Walker J&B Logan Old Parr Vat 69 White Horse.
Other
Chemicals and plastics Since 1915, during the World War I, Distillers supplied industrial alcohol for making explosives. In 1922, it started to manufacture Discol-branded motor fuel made from alcohol. In 1928, it formed together with Turner and Newall, the Carbon Dioxide Co Ltd for the sale of gas, a byproduct of their operations. In 1930, Distillers formed British Industrial Solvents for production of acids and other solvents from industrial alcohol. In 1933, it formed Gyproc Products which was sold to British Plaster Board in 1944. In 1937, Distillers acquired British Resin Products.Bamberg (2000), pp. 361–362 In 1939, it acquired a controlling stake in Commercial Solvents and a 50% interest in BX Plastics, where full control was acquired in 1961. It followed by getting 48% shareholding in F. A. Hughes and Co. in 1941 and taking the full control in 1947. In 1947, F. A. Hughes and Co. was merged into British Resin.
In 1947, British Petroleum Chemicals was incorporated as a joint venture of Anglo-Iranian Oil Company and Distillers Company. In 1956, the company was renamed British Hydrocarbon Chemicals.Bamberg (2000), pp. 350–352
In 1945, Distillers formed a joint venture, British Geon, with B. F. Goodrich to produce polyvinyl chloride and in 1954 it started a partnership named Distrene with Dow Chemicals to produce polystyrene. In 1955, it took full control of Magnesium Elektron. In 1967, BP acquired chemical and plastic assets of The Distillers Company which were merged with British Hydrocarbon Chemicals to form BP Chemicals.Bamberg (2000), pp. 385–389
Pharmaceuticals From 1942, Distillers Biochemicals (DCBL) operated an Agency Factory of the British Ministry of Supply manufacturing penicillin in Speke. The plant was one of the first two factories in Europe to produce penicillin. Following World War II, DCBL purchased the facility from the UK Government.
Distillers was also responsible for the manufacture of the drug Thalidomide in the United Kingdom. Thalidomide had been developed by Grunenthal with whom, in July 1957, DCBL signed a sixteen-year contract to market the drug. DCBL ordered 6,000 tablets for clinical trial and 500 grammes of pure substance for animal experiments and formulation. Thalidomide was marketed in the United Kingdom under the name Distaval, beginning on 14 April 1958. Advertisements emphasised the drug's complete safety, using phrases such as non-toxic and no known toxicity. Later, Thalidomide was marketed under the names Asmaval, Tensival, Valgis, and Valgraine and found to cause nerve damage and malformations in births. , pp. 42-46
The Speke site, also known as Speke Operations, was eventually sold to Eli Lilly and Company in 1963. In February 2022 it was acquired by TriRX.
Directors of note
Leonard Alsager Elgood FRSE 1943 to 1960.
References
Bibliography
External links History page on Diageo website
Article about The Distillers Company at www.scotchwhisky.com